


8teen

by edbloom



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, SKAM - Freeform, Slice of Life, Soulmates, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23908474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edbloom/pseuds/edbloom
Summary: Renjun’s whole world turns upside down on a Monday afternoon.It starts in the courtyard with the sun blistering and the winds blowing. It starts with a few exchanged banters between the boys, a few jabs and hits. It starts when the older years start to pour into the yard. It starts with a peak of black hair and almond-shaped eyes. It starts with seeing him smile, seeing him laugh, seeing him have the time of his life.It starts with a chance encounter with one Mark Lee.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	8teen

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!
> 
> happy dream comeback day!!
> 
> this was impulsive but i don't really regret it. this is heavily inspired by skam so there's that.
> 
> i'd also like to thank claire !! for beta'ing this one. thank you for reading this over :((((
> 
> ok. thats all!!! enjoy!!

**Monday, 12:31 PM KST**

Renjun’s whole world turns upside down on a Monday afternoon.

It starts in the courtyard with the sun blistering and the winds blowing. It starts with a few exchanged banters between the boys, a few jabs and hits. It starts when the older years start to pour into the yard. It starts with a peak of black hair and almond-shaped eyes. It starts with seeing him smile, seeing him laugh, seeing him have the time of his life.

It starts with a chance encounter with one Mark Lee.

He doesn’t know his name, not yet. Renjun won’t learn his name until much later on — different day, different time, same eyes, same smile. But he can’t stop staring. He doesn’t know why. The guy isn’t even doing anything remarkable. In fact, it’s rather benign what he is doing. He’s just walking, crossing the courtyard like hundreds of students do every single day — but Renjun can’t stop staring. There’s something magnetic about the boy; be it his laugh, the way he walks, or the way his eyes easily find Renjun’s in the midst of tens of students and how it crinkled in a smile as if to say  _ hi _ .

Renjun doesn't know why, but every atom in his body craves to see the boy again.

**Monday, 3:45 PM KST**

“Yo, Chenle invited us to a party on Friday,” Jaemin says once they’ve stepped into the bus. He’s coming over today, something about needing help with Biology. Renjun isn’t so sure, but he’d be lying if he says this “studying” session won’t end with them on the couch playing FIFA again. All seats are occupied in the bus so they make do with standing in the aisles, hands instantly reaching up for the hand bars when the bus starts moving.

“What’s a second year doing planning a party?” Renjun snickers. A  _ ping! _ distracts him from Jaemin’s reply. He checks his phone, his smile slowly dropping to a frown when he sees who texted him.

_ From: Mama _

_ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6 _

_ Good afternoon, Jun-ah _

He sighs a breath of relief after seeing the message.  _ She’s fine, Jun, she’s fine _ . Renjun releases his grip on the railing to properly reply to his mom. He smiles with the thought. About to send a reply to his mom, the bus lurches to a halt. He loses his balance, his hands coming up to try to find something to grip on when it happens; like it was ripped exactly from a romcom movie, hands grip on his waist to steady him. Blood rushes to his face, and his breath starts to stutter. He’s speechless for a few moments, his brain on overdrive yet silent at the same time — he can’t think straight.  _ Yes.. Hahaha he can’t think straight because he isn’t _ , Renjun thinks, almost hearing Donghyuck snicker at his expense. He can’t look at the stranger right now, the shame creeping up in his throat. 

Renjun’s contemplating the distance he would have to walk if he just got off  _ right now _ when the stranger who saved him lets out just a breath of a chuckle. As if electrified, his thoughts stop and his head snaps up to meet their eyes. And  _ fuck _ — if he was still breathing before, he definitely isn’t breathing now.

_ Courtyard boy _ .

“Hi,” the boy smiles like he did in the courtyard, like there’s a laugh or a giggle at the tip of his tongue. His eyes crinkle, and dimples appear beside it. And all Renjun can think right now is how  _ fucking _ cute this boy is, and how  _ fucked _ he is right now. 

“Sorry,” he grits out before turning and making his way back to Jaemin as fast as he can. He sees his best friend’s phone before he sees his face, and Renjun seethes.

“Don’t you dare,” he whispers once he’s close enough. He glares at him and he hopes his eyes convey how much he wants Jaemin six feet under the ground right now-- but Jaemin, being Jaemin, takes it all in stride. He smirks at him before he presses something on screen and Renjun’s phone  _ pings _ ! again.

“Oh, but I did,” Jaemin says. Renjun wonders how much Donghyuck would hate him if he punched his boyfriend in the face right now. He realizes he doesn’t really care what Donghyuck thinks and traps Jaemin in a chokehold.

Renjun makes an effort not to look anywhere behind him for the rest of the ride.

**Tuesday, 10:43 AM KST**

Renjun sees him again.

He passes him the hallways while on his way to his Biology class.

He’s smiling, talking about something with a friend. His hands are animated, gesticulating with every word he says. He can’t help but to smile at the boy’s enthusiasm.

Renjun learns something about the boy before he learns his name; he claps when he laughs. 

And with a racing heart and an itch crawling under his skin, all Renjun can think is  _ he’s adorable _ .

**Tuesday, 2:26 PM KST**

“Have you ever thought of soulmates in a biological sense?” Yangyang asks, out of the blue. They are working on an experiment in Chemistry right now, and the aspirin is taking excruciatingly long to dissolve. He’s holding the thermometer in the water bath while Renjun has the timer on his phone out. 

“Huh?” Renjun chuckles at the question, his eyes on the powder sitting right at the bottom of the beaker.  _ Soulmates in a biological sense? _

“Like the biological plausibility of soulmates,” Yangyang waves his free hand. “It’s just strange, isn’t it? You look at someone and then all of a sudden, your body is filled with dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, etc.”

“Isn’t that the same thing that happens when you have a crush?” Renjun says, scrambling to lower the temperature of the heating pad when it starts getting too hot. Yangyang rests the thermometer at the lip of the water bath carefully before he rushes to get a dry rag. Renjun checks the powder in the beaker, and lets out a frustrated sigh when he sees it isn’t dissolved yet.

“Yes, but with soulmates, it’s instantaneous,” Yangyang says once he comes back, he uses the rag to lift up the water bath from the heating pad to stop the heat. “There’s little to no build up, you just see them and then your body just goes happiness.”

“Like they're pre-programmed into your stress systems?” Renjun nods along to him, taking a glance at his phone.  _ Two minutes left _ .

“Exactly.” He places the water bath back onto the heating pad once the temperature of the water has gone back to an acceptable number. “Like if soulmates were real, then it would be in your genetics. Whoever is destined for you is intertwined with your genetic make-up.” He holds on to the thermometer again.

“Huh,” Renjun tilts his head in thought, “like whatever you do, your body and mind will know it’s them, even if you just saw their hair or something. You’ll just… react.” His thoughts flashback to the boy in the courtyard before he pushes it away.

“Yup,” Yangyang smiles, nodding his head enthusiastically. “It's a bit absurd, no?”

_ More like terrifying _ , Renjun thinks before the alarm on his phone goes off.

**Wednesday, 6:48 AM KST**

Khalid is blasting in his headphones as Renjun bikes his way to school.

He feels the cold bite his nose, his foot pressing down on the pedal. Cold sweat breaks out in his forehead, his sweater keeping out the cold air but keeping the heat in his body.

The passing sceneries make him feel serene, the snow was  _ just  _ starting melting and flowers starting to peak from under all the white.

Renjun loves it.

He loses himself to the cold air and the vibe of  _ American Teen.  _ Renjun mouths the words of the songs, dancing — or wiggling as Donghyuck would point out. He smiles to himself as he breathes out puffs of air. He sees a blur of pinks and yellows on a curb near the gates of the school.

_ I’m early _ , he thinks, taking a glance at his watch. He has time.

He bikes faster to the curb, a wide grin on his face. When he gets there, he stumbles to get off his bike. Kicking the kickstand down, he fishes his phone from his pocket. Renjun crutches down beside the flower bed, the smile still on his face. He points the camera at the flowers, tilting it sideways, trying to find a good angle. He snaps a few pictures before messing with the focus. His phone blurs before it focuses on the background of the field, a familiar mop of black hair enters his phone screen.

Courtyard boy is busy on his phone, his lips in a pout, and his nose is scrunched up. Renjun thinks he looks cute like that. So focused. _ He also looks insanely handsome with his side profile but that’s not important,  _ Renjun thinks before he sees someone else enter his field of vision.

A tall boy with blonde hair lunges at Courtyard boy with a shout of gibberish — wait, Renjun knew that voice.  _ Chenle’s brother _ , he thinks when Lucas finally turns to him. With a start, Renjun realizes how strange he must look crutched down with his phone pointing at them. He stands up, quickly, avoiding looking at the two friends.

Renjun puts his phone back in his pocket before straddling his bike, his head hung and his cheeks flushed with shame. Shaking his head, he tries to get rid of the image of what just happened out of his mind. Renjun puts his headphones back on before kicking the kickstand back up. There’s an itch that’s crawling under his skin, a heat he knows isn’t from his sweater. He worries his bottom lip before he takes a chance. Renjun looks up at where he knows Lucas and Courtyard boy are. His breath catches when he sees Courtyard boy staring at him.  _ Huh _ .

_ Just me and you _ , echoes in Renjun’s headphones while his heartbeat rings in his ears.

_ Let’s do all the stupid shit that young kids do. _

**Thursday, 6:19 PM KST**

  
  


**_stan gugudan LOSERS_ **

  
  


**_jaem loml (loser of my life)_ **

_ y’all up for lele’s party tom? _

**_pain in my ass_ **

_ yeah, i already told the brat i was going _

_ lmao dumbass, why’d u even do that _

**_nono :(_ **

_ bc he has a soft spot for him lol _

**_pain in my ass_ **

_ shut up _

**_yanggang_ **

_ i’m going _

_ kunhang has been bugging me to go since tuesday _

_ do i have a choice? _

**_jaem loml (loser of my life)_ **

_ no _

**_nono :(_ **

_ no lol _

_ fine, im going ig _

**_yanggang_ **

_ hell YEAH _

**_pain in my ass_ **

_ pregame at jaem’s? _

**_jaem loml (loser of my life)_ **

_ yupp _

_ coolsies _

**Friday, 6:50 AM KST**

Renjun locks his bike to the bike stand, fingers twitching lightly. He glances at his watch before he rushes to the entrance of the school.

There’s an itch that starts under his skin, but he can’t afford to look around, to try to find who’s looking at him. Renjun’s late and his first class is on the fourth floor of the building.

Courtyard boy can wait.

**Friday, 10:43 AM KST**

Renjun bangs his locker with a fist, trying to get it to open. It opens slightly, a hairline, but that’s an opening he can take advantage of. Annoyed and frustrated, he starts to use his nails to claw the locker door open. 

After a few more minutes of hard labor and irritated sighs, his locker finally opens. He lets out a yelp of joy. Renjun would’ve honest-to-god started dancing in the middle of the hallway, if it weren’t from the amused chuckle that came from behind him.

He glances behind him, and he sees Courtyard boy’s eyes widen before he coughs and runs away from him.

_ What? _

**Friday, 12:32 PM KST**

Renjun is in the middle of debunking Jaemin’s ridiculous conspiracy theory about this one documentary he watched during the weekend while he was high when he feels it again — the itch and the heat are hard to ignore with how cold it is this afternoon.

He searches for those eyes he’s been seeing whenever he closes his eyes, whenever he dreams in his sleep, whenever he walks in the hallways. He searches and searches until he finds him. Courtyard boy is seated a couple of tables away from them and just like what Renjun’s instincts have been telling him:

He’s looking at him.

Renjun wonders what he sees.

  
  


**Friday, 2:59 PM KST**

Renjun is on his way out from his Chemistry class when he sees him.

He’s in the hallways, laughing his heart out.  _ He looks happy _ , Renjun thinks with a smile.

Renjun catches his eye, and it’s like the world stops for a moment — just a moment, a second, not even a minute. He feels his palms start to sweat and his throat start to dry.

Renjun smiles, Courtyard boy smiles back, and then Renjun turns away.

**Friday, 3:10 PM KST**

Renjun is unlocking his bike, his mind reeling from what just happened. He can’t stop smiling and giggling to himself. He brings his hands to his face, and  _ fuck,  _ he’s blushing too.

Oh god, he’s gone mad.

**Friday, 6:59 PM KST**

Renjun sets his mom’s dinner on the table beside her bed. She fell asleep after reading her book. Renjun kisses her cheeks before he quietly makes his way out of her room.

He glances at his phone on the kitchen counter. It’s been blowing up since an hour ago because Jaemin was impatient and Donghyuck was an enabler.

Renjun sighs to himself,  _ oh how annoying his friends are _ . He snatches his phone from the counter before making his way to his room to get ready.

**Friday, 11:40 PM KST**

Joji is playing so loud the bass is ringing in his ear, the UV light is probably going to cause permanent damage to his vision, the disco ball in the middle of the room is so hilarious to him Renjun had to laugh at it for three minutes when he first saw it, and the crowded bodies in the living room are his worst nightmare. But he really can’t bring himself to care.

They just got here about an hour ago but Renjun’s already three vodka shots away from being tipsy, and he does not regret it. 

He dances, he drinks, he smokes. He loses himself to the spirit of Joji’s _ sadboi _ blues and teenage mistakes. He hasn’t done this since his mom’s diagnosis. 

And he feels  _ free _ . He feels  _ good _ . He feels oh-so  _ alive _ .

And when things get suffocating, when things get a little bit too much, Renjun makes his way to the backyard, to the calm. He’s known Chenle since he was six, has run off to his house when his own home starts getting noisier and noisier — he ran to Chenle when his dad left, he ran to Chenle the night of his mom’s episode — he knows this house like the back of his hand.

Renjun breathes in the night air when he finally makes his way to solitude. The backyard is mostly empty. A couple of boys are seated near the porch, their backs turned to him. He doesn’t pay them any mind though, bounding for the swing set in the middle of the yard. The vibrations of the music from the house and the breeze that blows against the trees leave him content in his seat on the swings —  enough for him to close his eyes in safety.

There’s a soft whisper of laughter and rustles that Renjun hears, probably the boys on the porch. He doesn’t really care, wanting to be left alone. There’s a loud screech —  he almost opens his eyes, almost — but it was quickly followed by consecutive aggressive hushes so he deems everything fine enough for him to keep his eyes closed. He hears rustling before the itch appears.

It itches but it also stings, and Renjun knows without a doubt that Courtyard boy is here. His heart starts to race, and breathing starts to quicken. Renjun doesn’t know if he’ll have the courage to open his eyes, but his palm starts to sweat against his jeans. Someone clears their throat in front of him and Renjun knows it’s him. He can  _ feel _ it.

_ Seize the day _ , he thinks before he opens his eyes.

He’s met with a shy smile and the most expressive eyes Renjun has ever seen.  _ I’m nervous too _ , his eyes seem to say and Renjun can’t help but return his smile. His smile widens, and he clears his throat again. 

“Hey,” he says, softly. Renjun sees his eyes grow confident, and he can’t seem to stop himself from falling.

“Hi,” Renjun whispers back, scared to break the moment. His feet start to fidget.

“You want to share a smoke?” The boy asks, reaching for the joint behind his ears. And he looks good like that, with a joint between his fingers and his eyes on Renjun. His stare is so intense that Renjun can feel his throat start to dry.

“Sure.” Renjun forces it off his tongue, swallows down nothing. The boy takes a seat on the swing beside him before putting the joint between his lips.  _ I need a fucking drink _ , Renjun thinks, staring at the way he had it balanced between his lips. He reaches for something in his back pockets. A lighter,  _ of course _ , he brings the flame up to the joint and the burning smell starts to waft through the air. He takes a hit before turning to him, eyes immediately finding Renjun’s. He exhales, slowly, taking Renjun’s breath away.  _ How the fuck is he so hot _ . Renjun wants to pull all of his hair out desperately.

“Mark,” he says behind a cloud of smoke. He passes the joint to Renjun, eyes still on him.

“Renjun,” Renjun says before bringing up the joint to his lips. He glances away from Mark before he takes a hit. Slow, slow, slow. He lets out the smoke, gently, little by little, watching the puffs of smoke fly away.

He turns to Mark, meaning to give him back the joint, when he catches Mark staring at him. Not his eyes this time. Lower, lower, lower. _Oh_. Renjun doesn’t know what to think— _fuck_ , he doesn’t know if he can even breathe. He feels like he’s going to explode— doesn’t know if he wants to ruin the moment, or just let it happen, but he knows if he lets this continue his heart will definitely not take it. 

He brings the joint up to his lips again, a weird futile attempt to break the moment, but Mark’s eyes just snap back to his eyes, just as intense. And  _ fuck _ , Renjun is so weak for him. Renjun takes a hit before glancing back towards the house. The heat in his cheeks and the way his stomach is churning are getting harder to ignore by the second.

Renjun hears Mark chuckle, quiet and light so different from the way he stares at him. Renjun takes another quick glance at him. His smile is wide, almost reaching his eyes; there’s a hint of something in his eyes, but Renjun doesn’t know what to call it. He passes the joint back to Mark. And Mark takes it with a nod.

The opening beat to Wish You Were Sober plays from inside the house, and if Renjun was inside, burning in the crowd, he would’ve laughed at the irony. But right now, he can’t seem to be bothered to care about anything except for Mark.

**Saturday, 2:21 AM KST**

The party dies down after a hundred dozen of noise complaints from Chenle’s neighbors. The police got tired of knocking, and Lucas got tired of answering.

Everyone leaves the house with their own cliques, their own hook-ups, their own mistakes. 

Renjun leaves the party with a new number in his phone and a hickey above his collar.


End file.
